#@£¤¤*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
@£¤¤¤*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*¤¤¤£@
££¤**«,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,«**¤££
@£¤¤:,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,:¤¤£@
@@£¤¤*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*¤¤£@@
#@£¤¤*:«,¨               WINDS ESKER                ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
¤¤¤¤*««,¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨,««*¤¤¤¤
#@£¤¤*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO  YEARS ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
£¤¤¤:«¨¨¨¨ I  COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS  HOW  MUCH ¨¨¨¨«:¤¤¤£
££¤¤¤*:«,¨ DISCUSSED  WITH OTHERS, OR  POINTED  OUT ¨,«:*¤¤¤££
@£¤¤¤*:«,¨ ON  MAPS, I COULD NOT  THINK OF IT  WHEN ¨,«:*¤¤¤£@
@@£¤¤*:«,¨ ALONE.  I  WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL  PAST  THE ¨,«:*¤¤£@@
@£¤:,¨¨¨¨¨ FORK,  WHERE  A RIGHT TURN WOULD  SURELY ¨¨¨¨¨,:¤£@
@@£¤¤*:«,¨ TAKE ME  THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¨,«:*¤¤£@@
££¤:,¨¨¨¨¨              KEPT ME AWAY.               ¨¨¨¨¨,:¤££
£¤*«,,,,,¨                                          ¨,,,,,«*¤£
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ WHEN I  FINALLY  GOT THERE,  AFTER  SOME ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
@@£¤¤*:«,¨     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     ¨,«:*¤¤£@@
##@¤¤*:«,¨ ASSUME,   THE  PLACE  WAS  SURREAL.   AN ¨,«:*¤¤@##
¤¤¤:«,,,,¨ ESKER,  LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN  RIFT  OUT IN ¨,,,,«:¤¤¤
¤¤¤:«¨¨¨¨¨ THE  LAKE,  BUT  TEN   METERS  HIGH  AND ¨¨¨¨¨«:¤¤¤
##£¤¤*:«,¨ ADORNED IN  BIRCH,  WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ¨,«:*¤¤£##
£¤¤::::«,¨               BLUEBERRIES.               ¨,«::::¤¤£
££¤¤*:««,¨                                          ¨,««:*¤¤££
##@£¤*:«,¨ WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO ¨,«:*¤£@##
##@£¤¤*«,¨ NOTICE  THE  VIEW TO  EITHER SIDE. THERE ¨,«*¤¤£@##
##@¤¤*:«,¨ SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I ¨,«:*¤¤@##
£££¤¤*:«,¨ DIDN'T  RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST  OFF, THEY ¨,«:*¤¤£££
@£¤:,¨¨¨¨¨ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE  LAKE SHOULD ¨¨¨¨¨,:¤£@
@¤¤¤¤*:«,¨ STRETCH FOR  A  HUNDRED  METERS  MORE ON ¨,«:*¤¤¤¤@
££¤*««,,¨¨ BOTH  SIDES.  BUT  NOW I  FELT  I  COULD ¨¨,,««*¤££
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ ALMOST REACH  OUT  AND  TOUCH  THEM. AND ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
£¤¤***:«,¨ THEN,  WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ¨,«:***¤¤£
##£¤¤*:«,¨           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           ¨,«:*¤¤£##
¤¤*:««,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,««:*¤¤
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ THEY  WERE  OF THE RIGHT LAKE.  BUT THIS ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
##£¤¤*:«,¨       LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND      ¨,«:*¤¤£##
¤*«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ BIPARTITE. LIKE  A PAIR OF LUNGS  CARVED ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«*¤
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH  NO LESS THAN ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
##£¤¤*:«,¨   FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS   ¨,«:*¤¤£##
£¤*::,,¨¨¨      POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE      ¨¨¨,,::*¤£
#@£¤¤*:«,¨     IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY    ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
££¤¤¤*:«,¨ UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING  MANY MILES ¨,«:*¤¤¤££
#@£¤¤*:«,¨                   AWAY.                  ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
#@£¤¤*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
¤**«,¨¨¨¨¨ I   EXAMINED  THE  RIDGE,  THE  TREELINE ¨¨¨¨¨,«**¤
@££¤¤*:«,¨ ABOVE.  WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW  OPPOSITE, ¨,«:*¤¤££@
£¤**«,,,¨¨ FROM  THOSE  OTHER  SHORES?  I  COULDN'T ¨¨,,,«**¤£
##@¤¤*:«,¨                REMEMBER.                 ¨,«:*¤¤@##
@@£¤¤*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*¤¤£@@
##@£¤¤:«,¨ CARRYING  FORWARD,  ON  THE VERY TIP  OF ¨,«:¤¤£@##
¤¤¤¤*:««,¨ THE ESKER,  I  FOUND THE  RUINS OF  SOME ¨,««:*¤¤¤¤
#@£¤¤*:«,¨    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH  ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
£££¤¤*:«,¨ THE  MOSS, AND  STRANGE  SLABS  INSERTED ¨,«:*¤¤£££
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ INTO THE  SLOPE  LIKE DAMS  AGAINST  THE ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
¤¤*«««,,,¨              GROUND ITSELF.              ¨,,,«««*¤¤
#@£¤¤*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
£¤¤¤*«,¨¨¨ SITTING THERE,  I  COULD SEE ACROSS  THE ¨¨¨,«*¤¤¤£
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE  I ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ SAT:  FROM THE  STAIRWELL  OF MY  HOUSE, ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
@@£¤¤*:«,¨ THROUGH  THE OLD WOODS BEHIND  THE  TILE ¨,«:*¤¤£@@
¤*:,¨¨¨¨¨¨      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      ¨¨¨¨¨¨,:*¤
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ TWENTY THREE  AND  THEN BACK  UNDER  IT, ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
##@£¤*:«,¨ THROUGH   THE  FANCY  VILLAS,  OVER  THE ¨,«:*¤£@##
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ FIELDS,  AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
#@£¤¤*:«,¨                  FORK.                   ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
#@£¤¤*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
££¤¤**:«,¨ AND  THEN THE  STAIRS  UP  ON THE RIDGE. ¨,«:**¤¤££
¤¤::,¨¨¨¨¨ THINKING  BACK,  THIS WAS  PROBABLY  IT. ¨¨¨¨¨,::¤¤
@@£¤¤*:«,¨ HIDDEN IN  A  GROVE,  THERE WERE  STAIRS ¨,«:*¤¤£@@
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ MUCH  LIKE THE ONES  I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
¤¤¤¤¤*:«,¨ OLD  AND  WORN  DOWN, THAT LEAD  YOU  UP ¨,«:*¤¤¤¤¤
@¤**:,¨¨¨¨ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF  ENTRY. HAD ¨¨¨¨,:**¤@
£¤***::«,¨ I INSTED OPTED TO  WALK  THE PATH AT ITS ¨,«::***¤£
£¤¤*::«,¨¨ FOOT,  I'M  SURE MY  EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ¨¨,«::*¤¤£
¤¤*:«,,¨¨¨          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ¨¨¨,,«:*¤¤
¤*:«¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨«:*¤
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
#@£¤¤*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
¤¤¤¤*«,¨¨¨ ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE   WERE  PEOPLE  IN ¨¨¨,«*¤¤¤¤
#@£¤¤*:«,¨ BOATS. I  WONDERED,  COULD THEY EVEN SEE ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
@¤¤¤¤*:«,¨ ME?  IF  I  SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN  TO ¨,«:*¤¤¤¤@
¤¤*::,¨¨¨¨          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ¨¨¨¨,::*¤¤
@@£¤¤*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*¤¤£@@
#@£¤¤*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*¤¤£@#
££¤¤¤*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*¤¤¤££
££¤::«¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨«::¤££
¤¤¤*::,,,¨                                          ¨,,,::*¤¤¤